Now I Sing a Better Song
A testimonial of becoming a Christian, disciple of Jesus Christ and a missionary.
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by Charles Edward Borjas
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Hi, my name is Charles Edward Borjas. I became a missionary on November of
1970. As a youth I was always interested in music. I therefore decided to
study different forms of contemporary music of my day. I learned to sing
at an early age. I then I started a collection of my own 45s and LPs. I
enjoyed the Beatles and looked up to them as intelligent and smart, with
an understanding of the younger generation. I learned to play the guitar
and sing their songs from the age of 13. After intense study and much
practice I became the lead vocal of a local band. I was brought up a Roman
Catholic, and I can remember that I wanted to become a missionary since
the early age of thirteen. However, at the age of 16 I decided to do my
own research and pursue other interests, so I stopped going to church on
Sunday.
Nevertheless, I was still very interested to discover if there really
was a God of Love, and what He thought about me personally. I continued
my search for truth as I delved deeper into the Beatles recordings of
their darker side, along with Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, Jimmy
Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc. I wanted to become like them. They were my
mentors, my gods, my life. So that is what I became; Dark, confused most
of the time, incoherent, impatient, unloving. This is what that kind of
music did to me.
I started my own rock group and spent a lot of my time singing empty
meaningless songs, which only brought me further down and deeper into
the darkness. I got into drugs so bad that I almost died three times
from overdoses. Many of my friends were getting sent to Viet Nam as they
were drafted and some of them never returned. Those who did became
crazy. I thought I was next, so I decided to join the Air Force instead.
Actually this did save my life as I had a fairly easy life in the Air
Force as a jet engine mechanic. However, this was the not the profession
I was interested in for my life’s work. I was still a bit of
bewilderment and constant confusion of why I was here on earth.
I thought that somehow being Catholic might save me from a horrible
death in Vietnam. I sought the help and advice of friends,
professionals, pastors, etc. I somehow gathered from my friends that the
way to happiness and bliss was through the world of substance abuse, so
I followed suit, due to the peer pressure that surrounded me. I found
momentary peace, comfort and what I thought was understanding during
that Age Of Aquarius amongst the counter-culture flower children and
their music, customs, free-love, religions, and speech.
The funny thing about all of this was that you can find a little truth,
happiness, satisfaction and joy in each thing you pursue, you can find
sincere sweet people, and some meaning to life, but as I tried each one
I had the funny feeling that there was something weird, something
strange, something incomplete about that way of life and its myriad of
ways to find the truth. Something funny and something felt just not
right. Something made me feel a bit sick inside about this way of
thinking.
I have met many sweet people from all walks of life, and I am not saying
that the all of the people involved in these different strange churches
and religions and groups etc. are all bad and evil. Many of them may
actually be searching for the truth, and in their zealous desire to find
it, actually did manage to find some truth. But the problem is, when
people find it they stop searching. That one little sliver of truth
becomes distorted, and bent out of shape because of not much to base it
on. It is not supported by other truths so when they are hit by the big
lies, they are deceived, because it is very close to the truth, or looks
like the truth, even has a lot of truth mixed in with it. If you are
going to search for the truth, you have to accept it when it comes, and
I mean The Whole Truth and nothing but the truth. You cannot say you are
living the truth when your life does not reflect it.
If you know anything at all about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden you
know that Satan entered in and lied to them, but he mixed his lies with
some truth of what God said. "Hath not God said? ..." ・ー
God DID say for them to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil because, as He said, they would die (he meant spiritually) but the
devil presented it to them a bit differently, accusing God to
them ... "ye shall not surely die, but in that day that you eat of it
your eyes shall be open and ye shall be as gods." (little "g"). Well, God
knew that that would happen, and that is why he did NOT want them to eat
of it because he did not want them to die spiritually.
You cannot say you
have found the truth when you are still in the darkness.
I knew I had to start making some serious decisions for my life before
those decisions were made by someone else I did not even know. I had
medical problems that gave me an early discharge from the Air Force.
After I was discharged, I decided to continue my quest to find the truth
and purpose for life. I traveled around and my journeys took me to
California, where it was said that everyone would find whatever it was
they were seeking.
I decided to try learning about agriculture and had made efforts to
study farming in the mountains of Oregon. To support myself and raise
funds to reach Oregon I was able to fall back on my singing talents by
entertaining in live houses and nightclubs around San Diego and L.A. I
was intent on not wasting my life, and new that I must not give up until
I found the answers about life I was seeking. I knew there was something
missing from my life and that only God could help me find the meaning of
life, but I did not know where to find Him. That is why I hoped
that by living in the mountains and learning to how to grow food would
somehow bring me close to nature, and thus God. That is when I believe
that God answered the deepest most desperate cry of my heart for the
truth, and what I was supposed to do with my life.
I had a sudden urge to walk, strange as it may seem, all night and all
the next day. While I was walking all around L.A. I was praying, asking
God to lead me and guide me. I knew He had a special place for me. I
then noticed a Salvation Army mission building on the opposite side of
the street I was walking. I did not realize it but I was now walking
down the center of skid row. I went inside and asked if I could stay
there for the weekend before trying to complete my trip to Oregon. I was
20 years old at the time. The nice man suggested that I try the place
just down the street from there as there were a lot of young people my
age there. So I thought that was a good tip. I hurried down the street a
few blocks down and as I approached a similar looking building I saw a
large sign hanging vertically from the side of the building with large
neon letters that said Jesus Saves.
As I approached the building, the front door swung open and a young girl
and man walked out saw me crossing the street and the girl yelled out
“Jesus Loves You!” very enthusiastically. I answered and said that
I was really happy to hear that! With that I was invited inside. I saw a
man behind a desk in the greeting office, and I told him that I was
looking for a place to stay for the weekend. To which he sincerely
replied, “we have a place for life!”
Was this an invitation to join them? I thought. Live in Skid Row for the
rest of my life doing what? So I asked questions like what would I be
doing here, and they answered me and shared Bible verses with me about
being born again. I soon found myself kneeling down, closing my eyes and
praying to ask Jesus into my heart. This was the beginning of my new
life.
I first began to know the Lord at the age of seven, when I received my
first Holy communion, and when I was attending Sunday school, and later
on as a teen I attended some Salvation Army services with my girlfriend,
where I again had prayed and rededicated my life to God. It was at that
time I prayed, and asked Jesus into my heart.
It was again, at a Servicemen’s center that a young man shared with me
about being born again by the Spirit, and I accepted the Word in my
heart at that time too, but that seed wasn’t grown up until I saw the
opportunity to take the ticket to becoming a missionary, when I met The
Children of God. I know He changed me right then on the spot. I
was different. I no longer wanted to smoke cigarettes, take drugs, or
follow my own way. I found the Way, the Truth and the Life, and God
showed me that the best way to fulfill His calling in my life was to
learn all I can about the Bible and obey His commission to "Go Ye Into
all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
I became a full time Bible student with a small Bible witnessing Bible
study group, and missionary trainee, which was what I had wanted to do
just about all of my life. It was the dedication to the Lord and His
Word in the Bible to preach the Gospel to every creature, obeying His
commandment in Mark 16:15, and to love one another, that attracted me
along with the music as I was a musician. I continued in my missionary
work and made many friends, mostly people who were trying to be sincere
missionaries. I just always wanted to be a missionary winning souls,
leading them to Christ.
I was always happy to get out where I belonged, out to the highways and
byways with God's message of salvation in word and song. In 2005 I
terminated my membership and left the group in order to spend more time
communicating with and seeing my extended family. I am still a
missionary, and although I left the group, I have no regrets of my life
35 years as a missionary in the field of the Japan.
So has it come to this? So what are we here for? What are you here for?
Have you found the answer to that question? What have you done with your
life? Never mind what I did with MINE, What will YOU say when YOU
stand before God Almighty some day and He asks you very lovingly, “What
have YOU done with YOUR life?” How will you answer? I would not want to
leave this life without finding the truth about why I am really here,
and what my purpose in life is.
You can read all the literature in the world, watch all the movies, gain
all the knowledge in the world, learn to speak every language, and make
all the money in the world. However, if you have not learned how to
LOVE, it is not really worth anything now is it? You will still be sad,
you will still be empty, and you will still be fearful and lonely. You
will become bitter without any real friends to comfort you, because you
chose the path of self-satisfaction only to find that the path of
self-satisfaction does not really satisfy.
If you choose the road to bitterness and hate it only will lead you to
more confusion, sadness, darkness and disease! It will separate you from
God, others and also yourself. Only Jesus and His love can satisfy. You
will only find peace when you learn to forgive those who have wronged
you. That is also when you will find forgiveness too, from God and the
people you have wronged. I have learned this. He is the one who can
answer the heartaches and can fill the void of every human being on the
face of the earth.
Jesus has little or nothing to do with what religion or church you
belong to if you do. Jesus is not a religion, He is a PERSON! He is a
King! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is my king and yours
too! Just to receive the Love of God is so simple and it has nothing to
do with church ceremonies, or religion, or traditions. Why not try it?
You just pray a little prayer and ask Jesus to come into your heart and
forgive all of your sins, and you will be born again into his kingdom.
You can join a church or group but you cannot join a kingdom, because it
is a country.
This earth is a colony of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus already won the war 2000 years ago over Satan, and all we have to
do is acknowledge that fact, receive Him, believe in Him, confess Him
before others, believe in your heart and confess with your mouth. Just
say yes to Jesus today. He is knocking at the door to your heart. He is
so gentle and will not force you to open the door, but He asks you to
open the door to your heart because He wants to give you the most
precious gift you ever had. Eternal life!
The gift of living forever! Not as some cloud or mist in some unknown
part of the universe, or just existing as some form of energy. This
eternal life means that you will be with him and others in Heaven, and
get to actually enjoy the many pleasures He has prepared for those who
love Him! This is real salvation! Knowing Jesus Christ and having a
relationship, a connection with Him. Saved now from your life of fears,
loneliness, confusion, loveless life, hate, stress, sickness, sadness,
and saved for all eternity. When you finally leave this life which way
are you going to go?
I became a missionary, and I came to Japan in 1972 to make friends and
to teach people about the Love of God as explained in the Bible. I spent
most of my time out on the boonies, away from the maddening crowds, in
the far flung cities, out on the streets, parks, bars, restaurants,
shops, offices, and other places where people gather, in order to preach
them the Word of God. I didn’t have time for gimmickry and abuses many
others somehow found time to do.
Salvation is a miraculous change that happens
when you receive Jesus,
the Son of God, into your heart.
A change, as the Bible says, "If any man be in Christ he is a new
creature, Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new!
It is this new creature you will become in which Jesus wants to live,
walk and talk through you and let His light shine through you so that
others may see Jesus in you! No, we don't just get saved and now that we
know we are going to go to heaven when we die go live like hell. That is
not the kind of salvation Jesus was talking about.
A truly born again Christian is a follower of the teachings of Jesus
Christ. Not just a once a week church goer. That won't save you anymore
than eating bread or drinking wine. That means you want to grow as a
Christian in knowledge and graces of Jesus Christ. You want to find out
all you can about who Jesus really was, what he really did, because now
you are going to be living like He did and with Him. How did he live and
what did he do? You have to read the Bible to find out. You have to read
the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to find out who Jesus was,
what He did, and what He wants you to do too with your life.
When you finally
leave this life which way are you going to go?
Do you want to know what heaven is like? What eternal life is like? Life
in Heaven? You can have it right now, right here, and heaven in your
heart. Just take Jesus. Into your heart, into your life, into your home,
Why not try Jesus? What have you got to lose? Nothing but this Old
World. I know there is a lot in this world to be thankful for, But a lot
of it is bad, so why not have Jesus? Just open the door to your heart;
He said He would come in. Do you feel that tug? Can't you feel Jesus
tugging on your heart, gently urging you to open up and let Him in? The
Bible says He is knocking at the door to your heart.
But you are the only one who can open it from the inside. There is no
doorknob on the outside, only the inside. Only you can make that
decision to let Him into your heart, into your life. You know you have
done bad things in your life. God knows it all too. But He is willing to
forgive you if you just say yes; I want you to come in my heart, Jesus.
You can be completely forgiven.
That is why He died on the cross.
For the sins and mistakes of everyone,
and anyone.
It does not matter
what country you were born in. It does not matter what religion you were
brought up to believe in. You can still be born again into the Kingdom
of God and become a citizen of it enjoying a relationship with the King
and all of the benefits and promises in its constitution, The Bible. It
does not matter if you think you are not good enough. Nobody is good
enough. That is why we need Jesus and His forgiveness. Because we cannot
save ourselves. No one can ever be good enough himself or herself to go
to heaven. You have to receive His free gift right from His hand. That
is the only way. It is not of yourself the Bible says, it is a gift from
God.
Just pray Jesus, please come into my heart and life. Forgive all of my
sins and help me to forgive others also. Help me to forgive myself. I
want to know more about You and Your love and how I can love You and
others. I want to know you more deeply and have a connection with you.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit, who you promised will lead me into all
truth. Thank you for your precious gift of eternal Life. Transform me
now by your power that people may see your love through me. If you
believed that prayer, then Jesus came in and he is living in your heart.
He will give you His power of love and teach you how to use His Word to
guide your life and the lives of others. You can join the millions of
others who right now at this moment are experiencing His love and peace
in their hearts wherever they are all over the World.
You also can sing the song of salvation, which even the angels do not
know and cannot sing. You have been forgiven and will live forever in
the kingdom of God. But do not stop there. Try now to find out as much
as you can about the Bible, His Words for you and learn how you can
share it with others. You can learn many things about Jesus, the Bible,
and read about the experiences of others before and after they also
found this new way of salvation. This is nothing new. It has been
happening for 2000 years. You can learn how the Bible changes the course
of history and influenced the lives of millions and millions of people
including kings, presidents, scientists, doctors, businessmen, and
people in every walk of life. Find out how the Bible changed the course
of whole nations and continents.
The Bible is not any ordinary Book! You can learn how to fight
discouragement, fear, stress, sadness, loneliness, and how to find the
answer to your many questions about life, and how to solve your many
problems you must face from day to day. When I found Jesus, I knew that
was it! His commission to me was clear! Many of those I witnessed to
have a miraculous change in their lives going from totally confused,
suicidal drug addict -rock addict hippies or students to happy, useful,
fulfilled, positive, love-filled, purpose-filled productive lives.
I have learned many things and done many things to help others and I
have never regretted it. Life has not been without its dark moments,
battles and trials believe me, but when I found the answer, the reason
we are here, and applied it to my life I found you could rise above even
the most tragic difficulties with faith in God and His Word. I have seen
people healed of sicknesses and diseases through the miracle working
power of God’s Holy Spirit! I have seen people’s lives change
miraculously!
I cannot really tell you all that I have done because I know it has been
only Him. I have been involved in ministries that have helped people
find new productive lives, and furthered the Gospel. From various
music ministries such as charity concerts, campfire singing, club
singing, recording, live houses, street singing, person to person
singing, shows at institutions for orphans, juvenile correctional
institutions, hospitals, Senior Citizen retirement homes, day care
centers, schools, parties, youth gatherings, etc.
So when you leave this life, what will God ask you? What have you done
with your life? What have you done for others? What have you done for
Me? What will your answer be? What will He say to you? Will He say,
Enter into your reward, for I hungered and you fed Me, I was thirsty and
you gave Me drink, I was naked and ye clothed Me, I was sick and
in prison and ye visited Me, for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the LEAST of these my brethren, ye have done it unto ME. Or will He say,
Enter into everlasting fire, shame, darkness and contempt, for I
hungered and ye fed Me NOT, I thirsted and ye gave Me NOT drink, I was
naked and ye clothed Me NOT, sick and in prison and ye visited me NOT,
for inasmuch as ye have NOT done it unto one of the LEAST of these my
brethren, ye have NOT done it unto ME. (The Gospel of Matthew Chapter
25)
Which way will YOU go when you die? Will He say unto you, Well done thou
good and Faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord. ? When
the saints go marching in do you want to be in that number? If you do
then you should immediately find out what you need to do in order to
straighten things out between you and God, you and others. The only way
to be happy is to make others happy. Love God and love your neighbor, on
these two commandments hang all of the Law and the entire Bible. No
matter what your religion, or belief, without Love it is nothing and
will come to nothing. Your life will come to nothing without real love,
true love, unconditional love, true LOVE, the Love of God. That is all
the religion you need! Receive Jesus into your heart and life today,
before it is too late, because you may be running out of time!
The Bible says that we are living in the last days before the promised
return of Jesus Christ to this earth when He will judge the wicked, and
rescue God’s children who are scattered all over the world. Then He will
set up His own Kingdom on this earth and rule it with a rod of iron and
righteousness! You will never know what something really tastes like
until you try it, with an open and honest heart and mind.
May God Bless You as you seek His truth in His Word.
God loves you unconditionally, and wants you to know!
With Love and Prayers for you,
Charles Edward Borjas
If you have any questions, comments
or just want to share thoughts
you can contact me at:
Charlie722@gmail.com